Field
This disclosure relates to systems, devices, and methods with applications in, for example, hospitals and other patient care facilities. For example, the systems, devices, and methods described herein can be used for acquiring physiological information from patients, analyzing the physiological information, and communicating the physiological information to clinicians and other systems or devices. In addition, the systems, devices, and methods described herein can be used to encourage and/or monitor the usage of sanitation devices by healthcare clinicians.
Description of the Related Art
Hospitals, nursing homes, and other patient care facilities typically include patient monitoring devices at one or more bedsides in the facility. Patient monitoring devices generally include sensors, processing equipment, and displays for obtaining and analyzing a medical patient's physiological parameters. Physiological parameters include, for example, respiratory rate, SpO2 level, pulse, and blood pressure, among others. Clinicians, including doctors, nurses, and certain other medical personnel use the physiological parameters obtained from the medical patient to diagnose illnesses and to prescribe treatments. Clinicians also use the physiological parameters to monitor a patient during various clinical situations to determine whether to increase the level of medical care given to the patient.
Patient monitors capable of measuring pulse oximetry parameters, such as SpO2 and pulse rate in addition to advanced parameters, such as HbCO, HbMet and total hemoglobin (Hbt) and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors are described in at least U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,013, filed Mar. 1, 2006 and entitled Multiple Wavelength Sensor Emitters and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/366,208, filed Mar. 1, 2006 and entitled Noninvasive Multi-Parameter Patient Monitor, both assigned to Masimo Laboratories, Irvine, Calif. (Masimo Labs) and both incorporated by reference herein. Further, noninvasive blood parameter monitors and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors, such as Rainbow™ adhesive and reusable sensors and RAD-57™ and Radical-7™ monitors for measuring SpO2, pulse rate, perfusion index, signal quality, HbCO and HbMet among other parameters are also available from Masimo Corporation, Irvine, Calif. (Masimo).
Advanced physiological monitoring systems may incorporate pulse oximetry in addition to advanced features for the calculation and display of other blood parameters, such as carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO), methemoglobin (HbMet) and total hemoglobin (Hbt), as a few examples. Advanced physiological monitors and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors capable of measuring parameters in addition to SpO2, such as HbCO, HbMet and Hbt are described in at least U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,013, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Multiple Wavelength Sensor Emitters and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/366,208, filed Mar. 1, 2006, titled Noninvasive Multi-Parameter Patient Monitor, assigned to Masimo Labs and incorporated by reference herein. Further, noninvasive blood parameter monitors and corresponding multiple wavelength optical sensors, such as Rainbow™ adhesive and reusable sensors and RAD-57™ and Radical-7™ monitors for measuring SpO2, pulse rate, perfusion index (PI), signal quality (SiQ), pulse variability index (PVI), HbCO and HbMet among other parameters are also available from Masimo.
Sanitation is also an important concern in hospitals and other patient care facilities since good sanitation practices may help limit the spread of germs and disease. Clinicians, such as doctors and nurses, who are exposed to multiple patients in these facilities may inadvertently contribute to the spread of germs if they are lax in their sanitation practices. Therefore, systems, devices, and methods which are capable of encouraging and/or monitoring the sanitation practices of clinicians would be advantageous.